Textile product derived from animal fiber and a process of making same



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILHELM HELMUTH SGHWEITZER', OF HEIDELIBERG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO SOCIETY TEGHNOCHEMIA .AKTIENGESELLSCHAIT, OF GLARU'S, SWIT- ZERLAN D.

TEXTILE PRODUCT DERIVED FROM ANIMAL FIBER AND A PROCESS OF MAKING 1,389,274. No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILHELM HELMUTH SCHWEITZER, acitizen of the German Republic, and resident of Heidelberg, Germany, have invented a new and useful Textile Product. Derived from Animal Fibers and aProcess of Making Same, for which I have filed an application in ermany, January 21, 1919,) of which the following is a full, clear, andexact specification.

For more than 20 years wool fiber has been treated with chlorin inorder to pre, vent its felting and its shrinking or'shortening when treated with hot liquids, to insure its easy dying in printing and to give it a silky appearance. 7

' It. is known that instead of chlorin pther oxidizing chemicals have been employed.

There have been for a short time only yarns for knitting on the market, which had been treated with chlorin or bromin. But

owing to their hard and dry feel and owing When treating wool fiber with chlorin,

hydrochloric acid isproduced and, of course,

. little quantities of this'acid, which may have remainedin the fiber, have always been neutralized with some alkali.

Nevertheless for this purpose only very little quantities of alkali were necessary and only in great dilution and there never existed any intention to produce any reaction between the alkali and the. very substance of the chlorinated wool fiber, probably while any reaction has always been carefully avoided in order to not spoil the strength glad the other good properties of the wool Now I have found the surprising fact, that wool fibers previously'treated withchlorin or any other oxidizin chemicals as well as fiber, previously treated for example wlth hairs and all other own animal textile fibers previously chlorinated can be transformed into fibers of an entirely new kind, which complete most fortunately the assort- 'ment at the disposal of the splnner.

The remarkably increased luster, strength,

Specification of Letters ,Eatent. Application filed April 28,1921. Serial in. 465,288.

Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

formed fibers will insure them a large emplolyment.

he means used for producing this curious transformation, which is especially valuable for hairs which, heretofore have been of much less value than the'wool fiber itself, ma be described as follows:

nimal fiber of any sort and in any condition, as flocks, slivers, yarn or'cloth, is treated with chlorin or other oxidizing agents in a known manner. Thereby these oxidizing agents can be employed in excess in .view of obtaining the maximum of the oxidizing eflect. i The oxidized fiber, which contrary to the non-treated wool fiber, which is an aminoacid, is probably. a polyoxyaminoacid, is then dipped into a bath containing relatively high quantities of alkali, as for instance soda lye or sodium carbonate, in respect to the weight of the fiber.

A violent reaction takes lace between the 'alkali and the oxidized fi er, the bath becomes colored and the oxidized fiber becomes transparent, slippery and at the same time very brilliant. Y

he slippery consistence disappears more and more by rinsing the treated fiber-and by treating it with bo ling soap solutions (this treatment is advantageously preceded by a drying process) and the new fiber acqulres its characteristic properties which are a high luster, an increased strength and increased .elasticity, and a remarkably soft and silky feel, especially when care has been taken to give a finish at ordinary tem rature with alittle acetic acid or to calen or after drying.

Accordingly to the desired effect and the concentration of the alkaline baths employed the transformation of the fiber occurs at a higher-or a lower temperature and in the course of a longer or, a shorter time.

The use of an excess of alkali is one of the most characteristic features of the invention. In the above given example the wool chlorin, is di (1 for a rather short time treated subsequently with the alkaline bath glycerin, etc.

- stance, wax,parafiin, stearin, resins, vegekaline baths containing compounds of al-' table wax, either by passing 'the fiber through a bath of these bodies in a melted state and removing afterwardthe excess of' the same by pressure, or by solvents or boiling soap baths, or by passing) the fiber through a solution of the said odies or a solution of the said bodies previously saponified. If the said bodies employed are previously saponified an excess of alkali may remain in the soap solution and act thus on the chlorinated or otherwise treated fiber.

The fiber treated with an oxidizing agent can .also be at first impregnated with the water-proofing and softening substance and in order to remove'theexcess of the waterproofing and softening substance from the surface of the fiber In all cases sufficient of the water-proofing substance remains in .the fiber for obtaining the desired eflect.

If the water-proofing and softening sub-' stance, as such or prevlously saponified, be employed in the form of a solution, the treatment with the alkaline bath precedes advantageously the treatment with the said solution of water-proofing and softening substance, in order to avoid that the waterproofing and softening substance deposited in the fiber be removed again therefrom.

Ewample.

50 kilos of a fine wool cloth are treated at ordinary temperature with a filtered solution of 40 kilos of chloridof lime in 1500 liters of water to which an equivalent quantity of hydrochloric acid'has been previously added, until the developed hypochlorous acid disappears, which is generally the case after half an hour. The cloth is then abun-. dantly rinsed with cold water. Afterward it is bleached by dipping-it into a solution of sodium hydrosulfite or of sulfurous acid and rinsed. Then the bleachedfiber is boiled in a solution of 3 kilos of wax soap in 1500 liters water and rinsed in cold water. wax soap employed is prepared by saponifying 3 partsof bees wax with 3 parts of ,solid soda lye); The cloth is then treated for a relatively short time, varying from a few minutes to of an hour, according to the thickness of the fiber .or other reasons, with a solution of -15kilos of solid soda lye in 1500 liters of water, wrung out and again copiously rinsed with water. Finally the cloth (The is boiled in a solution of Marseille soap to successive treatment of an animal fiber with an oxidizing agent and an excess of alkali 'andshows ahigher luster, .a higher strength and a higher elasticity than the animal fiber from which it is derived and a remarkably soft and silky feel and is also more .transparent than the animal fiber from which it is derived. 2. As a new herein described textile product derived from an animal fiber, which results from a successive treatment of an animal fiber with an oxidizing agent and an excess of alkali, 1s

impregnated with a water-proofing and softening substance and shows a higher luster, a higher strength and a higher elasticity than the animal fiber from which it is derived and a remarkably soft and silky feel and is also more transparent than the animal fiber from which it is derived.

manufacture of a textile product derived from an animal fiber, consisting in treating an animal fiber first with an oxidizing agent and afterward with'an excess of alkali.

4. The herein described process for the 3; The herein described process for the manufacture of a textile product derived from an animal fiber, consisting in treating an animal fiber successively with an oxidizing agent and an excess of alkali and im-' pregnating the fiber finally with a waterproofing and softening substance.

5. The herein described process for the manufacture of a textile product derived from an animal fiber, consisting in treating an animal fiber successively with an oxidizing agent, an excess of alkali and a solution of a water-proofing and softening substance.

6. The herein described process for the manufacture of a textile product derived from an animal fiber, consisting in treating an animal fiber first with an oxidizing agent, then impregnating. the fiber with a-waterproofing and softening substance and finally treating it with an excess of alkali.

7. The herein described process for the manufacture of a textile product, derived from an animal fiber, consisting in treating an animal fiber successively with an'oxidizsoftening substance and an excess of alkali.

8. The herein described process for the manufacture of a textile product derived from an animal fiber, consisting in treating an animal fiber successively with an oxidiz= ing agent, a bleaching agent, a solution of a water-proofing and softening substance and f I an excess of alkali.

I 7 so i article of manufacture, the

9. The herein described process for the manufacture of a textile product derived I from an animal fiber, consisting in treating manufacture of textile product from an animal fiber, consisting in treatingsuccessively the fiber with an oxidizing agent and an excess of alkali, impregnating the fiber with a water-proofing and softening substance and finally treating the fiber with a boiling soap bath, inorder to remove the water- 15 proofing and softening substance from the surface of the fiber.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 30th day of March, 1921, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILHELM HELMUTH SCHWYEITZER. W itnesseszi g EMILE BRONNERT, v AMAND GRANN. 

